Where are the Soul Food movie cast today? A look at the cast members
The Soul Food cast made a lasting impact on Hollywood, with Michael Beach thriving in TV and film, Irma P. Hall celebrated for matriarch roles, Vivica A. Fox moving into directing, and Nia Long earning continued acclaim. From family dinners to Hollywood stardom, uncover where the iconic cast members are today.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- A look into the Soul Food movie cast
- 1. Vanessa L. Williams as Teri Joseph
- 2. Vivica A. Fox as Maxine Joseph
- 3. Nia Long as Roberta “Bird” Joseph
- 4. Michael Beach as Miles Joseph
- 5. Mekhi Phifer as Lem Van Adams
- 6. Jeffrey D. Sams as Kenny Janowski
- 7. Gina Ravera as Faith Hunter
- 8. Irma P. Hall as Josephine “Big Mama” Joseph
- 9. Brandon Hammond as Ahmad Joseph
- Is the movie Soul Food based on a true story?
- What happened to the little boy on Soul Food?
Key takeaways
- Vanessa L. Williams enjoyed a TV career renaissance with Ugly Betty.
- Vivica A. Fox expanded into producing and directing while staying active on screen.
- Beach sustained a 40-year career and joined major shows like Mayor of Kingstown (2024).
- Brandon Hammond left acting to become a filmmaker and award-winning writer.
- The Soul Food movie cast reunited in 2024 for the first time since 1997.
A look into the Soul Food movie cast
The Soul Food movie cast brought warmth, drama, and authenticity to the screen in 1997. In a 2024 reunion for Hulu’s “Black Stories Always” campaign, Vanessa L. Williams admitted,
We hadn’t been together since 1997 when we were promoting the film.
Vivica A. Fox recalled with a laugh,
We ate soul food for like two weeks… everywhere that we went, guess what we were eating. Soul food.
The group shared memories, jokes, and pride in the film’s legacy. Here are the stars who helped make Soul Food unforgettable.
1. Vanessa L. Williams as Teri Joseph
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 18 March 1963
- Place of birth: Tarrytown, New York
- Age: 62 (as of August 2025)
- Age during filming: 34
- Career: Actress, singer
Williams played Teri Joseph, the eldest Joseph daughter in the legendary movie, Soul Food. After the film, the actress had a career resurgence on television. She earned multiple Emmy nominations as Wilhelmina Slater on Ugly Betty (2006–2010) and later played Renee Perry on Desperate Housewives (2008–2012).
Vanessa has also maintained a strong stage presence, earning Tony nominations for Into the Woods (2002) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (1993). In 2024, she took on the role of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada on London’s West End.
In early 2025, the prominent actress attended the BAFTAs to honour her late mother, Helen Williams, describing her as a “powerhouse” and “force of nature.” Over four decades, she has built a reputation as one of entertainment’s most versatile performers, earning The Icon Award at the 2025 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar.
As a singer, she has released several albums, including The Right Stuff and The Real Thing. In 2024, the singer announced her latest album, Survivor.
2. Vivica A. Fox as Maxine Joseph
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 30 July 1964
- Place of birth: South Bend, Indiana
- Age: 61 (as of August 2025)
- Age during filming: 33
- Career: Actress, producer, director, entrepreneur
Fox played Maxine Joseph, the middle Joseph sister and mother of Ahmad. Her performance earned her the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.
The actress had already achieved breakout success with Independence Day (1996) and Set It Off (1996). She went on to star in films such as Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998), Two Can Play That Game (2001), Juwanna Mann (2002), and as Vernita Green in Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003).
Vivica also headlined the Lifetime series Missing (2003–2006), winning another NAACP Image Award, and became a fixture in Lifetime’s The Wrong… movie franchise. The actress made her directorial debut with First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story (2023) and continues to act and produce, with over 100 film credits since 1997.
Fox is also the founder of the Vivica A. Fox Hair Collection, where she offers affordable wigs and extensions. The renowned entrepreneur has been actively promoting the brand in 2025.
The entrepreneur was married to singer Christopher Harvest from 1998 to 2002 and has had relationships with rapper 50 Cent and promoter Omar “Slim” White. Fox has no children and has spoken openly about wishing she had become a mother. On Oprah’s Where Are They Now, she admitted,
That's the biggest regret of my life...that I have is that I didn't have a child.
3. Nia Long as Roberta “Bird” Joseph
Source: UGC
- Date of birth: 30 October 1970
- Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York
- Age: 54 (as of August 2025)
- Age during filming: 26
- Career: Actress, producer, director
In Soul Food, Long played Bird Joseph, the youngest of Joseph's sisters. After the film, she became a prominent figure in 1990s and 2000s Black cinema, starring in The Best Man (1999) and its sequels, Big Momma’s House (2000–2006), Love Jones (1997), and Are We There Yet? (2005).
On television, she earned an NAACP Image Award for Third Watch (2003–2005) and later appeared in Empire, House of Lies, and NCIS: Los Angeles. In 2025, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her recent projects include You People (2023) and the upcoming Fatal Affair 2.
Long lives in Los Angeles and has two sons: Massai Zhivago Dorsey II, with actor Massai Dorsey, and Kez Sunday Udoka, with her former fiancé, NBA coach Ime Udoka. She and Udoka ended their relationship in 2022, and she is now single.
4. Michael Beach as Miles Joseph
Source: UGC
- Date of birth: 30 October 1963
- Place of birth: Roxbury (Boston), Massachusetts
- Age: 61 (as of August 2025)
- Age during filming: 33
- Career: Actor
Beach played Miles Joseph, Teri’s husband and a lawyer who left his firm to pursue music. Beach’s breakout came as Angela Bassett’s unfaithful husband in Waiting to Exhale (1995). His film credits include Lean on Me (1989), True Romance (1993), If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), Aquaman (2018), Sparkle (2012), First Sunday (2008), Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), and Saw X (2023).
Beach married Tracey Beach in 1990, and they divorced in 2006. He married Elisha Wilson in 2007, and they live in Los Angeles with Tracey and their eight children from both marriages—a blended arrangement he calls unconventional but harmonious. During a Sway YouTube interview, the actor opened up about her marriage,
I was married 17 years before and had the four kids…and it didn’t work out. And because I had the four kids, I was like, why do I have to do that again? I’m done,”…And it wasn’t a horrible marriage. In fact, on Black Love, I talk about the fact that my ex-wife lives with my wife and I and our kids. In the same house.
5. Mekhi Phifer as Lem Van Adams
Source: UGC
- Date of birth: 29 December 1973
- Place of birth: Harlem, New York City
- Age: 51 (as of August 2025)
- Age during filming: 23
- Career: Actor
In Soul Food, Phifer played Lem Van Adams, Bird’s husband and a recently released ex-convict rebuilding his life. Phifer’s career includes early roles in Clockers (1995) and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), as well as Paid in Full (2002) and 8 Mile (2002).
From 2002 to 2008, he starred as Dr. Gregory Pratt on ER, earning two NAACP Image Award nominations. His other notable credits are shared below;
- Dawn of the Dead (2004)
- Divergent (2014–2016)
- Torchwood: Miracle Day (2011)
- House of Lies (2014)
Phifer married actress Malinda Williams in 1999 but divorced in 2003. He later married Reshelet Barnes, and the couple has been together since 2013. The actor has two sons—one with Williams and one with Oni Souratha.
6. Jeffrey D. Sams as Kenny Janowski
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: 1 September 1966
- Place of birth: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Age: 58 (as of August 2025)
- Age during filming: 30
- Career: Actor
Sams played Kenny Janowski, Maxine’s husband and Ahmad’s father, who was previously in a relationship with Teri. After Soul Food, Sams built a steady television career with recurring roles on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Law & Order, Strong Medicine, and Veronica Mars.
He also appeared in Station 19, the Netflix film Reality High, and on Broadway in Five Guys Named Moe. Sams has been married to Lisa Bourcier since 1998 and lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
7. Gina Ravera as Faith Hunter
Source: UGC
- Date of birth: 20 May 1966
- Place of birth: San Francisco, California
- Age: 59 (as of August 2025)
- Age during filming: 31
- Career: Actress, dancer
In Soul Food, Ravera played Faith Hunter, Teri's cousin, who becomes involved with Miles. After the film, Ravera worked extensively in television, most notably as Detective Irene Daniels in The Closer (2005–2009).
The actress also had recurring roles on ER, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Private Practice, Arrow, The Great Debaters (2007) and Showgirls (1995).
Ravera stepped back from acting after a 2014 appearance on Castle. As of 2025, the actress lives a private life in the Hollywood Hills, California.
8. Irma P. Hall as Josephine “Big Mama” Joseph
Source: UGC
- Date of birth: 3 June 1935
- Place of birth: Beaumont, Texas
- Age: 90 (as of August 2025)
- Age during filming: 61
- Career: Actress, former teacher
Hall played Big Mama Joseph, the family matriarch in Soul Food. After the film, Hall featured in other films, including Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), Patch Adams (1998), and The Ladykillers (2004), winning the Jury Prize at Cannes for the latter.
Irma’s other credits include Collateral (2004), Meet the Browns (2008), and recurring television roles on Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Fire, and Hap and Leonard (2016–2018). As of 2025, the former teacher lives in Dallas, Texas, surrounded by her children and grandchildren.
9. Brandon Hammond as Ahmad Joseph
Source: UGC
- Date of birth: 6 February 1984
- Place of birth: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Age: 41 (as of August 2025)
- Age during filming: 13
- Career: Actor, writer, filmmaker
Hammond played Ahmad Joseph, Maxine and Kenny’s son and the film’s narrator. His performance earned the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Youth Actor in 1998.
Hammond’s other credits include Mars Attacks! (1996), Space Jam (1996), The Fan (1996), and Our America (2002), for which he earned a Young Artist Award nomination. He also had recurring roles on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1996–1998) and The Gregory Hines Show (1997–1998).
After stepping away from acting in the early 2000s, Hammond studied film and moved into writing and directing. His short Amaru won Best Screenwriting at the John Singleton Short Film Competition (2020). As of 2025, the American writer lives in Los Angeles and works as a filmmaker.
Is the movie Soul Food based on a true story?
Soul Food (1997) is loosely inspired by writer and director George Tillman Jr.’s own family experiences. Tillman drew from his memories of large Sunday dinners held by his grandmother in Chicago.
What happened to the little boy on Soul Food?
Hammond continued acting into the early 2000s before stepping away from the spotlight. Brandon later studied film and became a writer and director, with his short film Amaru winning Best Screenwriting at the John Singleton Short Film Competition in 2020.
The Soul Food movie cast brought to life a heartfelt story of family, love, and resilience. Nearly three decades later, many of its stars continue to make waves in film, television, and theatre. These icons have navigated career highs, personal challenges, and new creative ventures while keeping the spirit of the film alive.
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Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
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